Sunday, May 07, 2017

Macron And French Cheese

At a victory party outside the Louvre Museum in Paris, Macron supporters roared with delight at the news, waving red, white and blue tricolor flags. The jubilant crowd swelled to thousands as the night wore on.

"A new page in our long history is opening tonight. I want it to be one of hope and renewed confidence," Macron said. The 39-year-old investment banker became the youngest president in the 59-year-history of the French Fifth Republic with his victory.

The result amounted to an emphatic rejection of Le Pen's "French-first nationalism." The 48-year-old had hoped the same populist wave that led Donald Trump to the White House would also carry her to the Elysee Palace.

Macron, in a solemn televised victory speech, vowed to heal the social divisions exposed by France's acrimonious election campaign and bring "hope and renewed confidence" to his country.
"I know the divisions in our nation that led some to extreme votes. I respect them," he declared, unsmiling. "I know the anger, the anxiety, the doubts that a large number of you also expressed. It is my responsibility to hear them."